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Tuesday, March 29, 2016

BENEFITS OF ROLE-PLAYING GAMES FOR CHILDREN

by Amy Mia Goldsmith (Guest Blogger)

When my daughter first asked me to take her to a friend’s birthday
party structured around role-play games, I was very suspicious.
Personally, I used to
believe that such games have little practical value and serve merely
as an escape from reality, not as skill-building playtime. But as I
watched her play
with other kids at the birthday party, I realized that there are
quite a few gains to role playing. If your kids are crazy about Dungeons
& Dragons,
Legends of Might and Magic, or Game of Thrones, you may want to let
them live out their fantasy – and here is why.

1. Playing Cultivates Creativity

Role-playing games revolve around creativity
: there are some rules which ought to be followed, but role playing
does entail a degree of personal freedom and improvisation. In essence,
the aim of the
game is to create a story, and storytelling encourages imagination
like no other pastime activity out there. During the game, participants
cast off their
everyday personality and assume a character of a hero or villain,
attempting to make the persona as charismatic as possible, which
requires active mental
work, lots of creativity, and basic acting skills.

2. Playing Levels Up Your Social Skills

Social interaction during a role-playing game
is to a degree governed by game rules, but players are allowed to
experiment and add a personal touch to the character they are
impersonating. Through role
play, shy children can overcome their fear of contact and improve
communication skills, which is a healthier alternative to video or PC
games where the
players are separated by screens. By engaging in a role playing
session, your little one can make friends based on their interests more
easily. In addition
to that, the assumed persona allows the child to feel more at ease
stepping outside their comfort zone because their personal insecurities
and sensitive
spots are concealed behind a mask.

3. Playing Encourages Teamwork and Cooperation

Teamwork and cooperation are valuable lessons that will get your child far in adulthood, and role playing is a great tool for laying down the foundations
of these qualities at an
early age. Though winning or losing still matters in role play,
achieving victory is possible only through collaboration and joint
effort, and unless every
group member puts their role-determined skills to good use, the
whole team will suffer. For this reason, teams must function as a
seamless whole and come
up with ways to earn points without violating the rules – and that
is a priceless skill for a child to develop for their later life.

4. Playing Teaches Problem Solving Skills

Problem solving
is another aspect of role playing that has practical value in the
real world. While cheating is not allowed, creative thinking and
innovative approach to
problems are encouraged by the game master, and team collaboration
on a problem is necessary for success. For this reason, role playing
teaches kids to
keep an open mind, examine the situation from multiple aspects,
improvise, and think critically without sacrificing imagination or fun.
My kids’ favorite role-playing game is Poptropica, a virtual world which focuses on games, travel,
and problem solving, and it has helped my daughter considerably improve her logical thinking.

5. Playing Is Fun

Role playing is fun, too: it allows the players to turn their back
to everyday concerns and step into a magical world where everything is
possible. That is
probably why both children and adults love these games: there is no
embarrassment, no stress, and no long-term consequences, only a
challenge and an
adventure to be had. The world of role playing is a realm of dreams,
where our kids can be whomever they want to be, and the thrills and
surprises are a
given.

Role-playing games
are not just masquerades for game-crazed geeks and no-lifers: more
than a nerdy play-pretend, role play can teach our kids a few lessons
about
communication, creativity, cooperation, and importance of teamwork.
Kids love role playing: it is fun, creative, challenging, and it allows
them to put on
a persona and practise acting skills – and most importantly, it
allows every mother to turn her gaze from her energetic offspring and
tend to their own
needs.

About the author

Amy Mia Goldsmith is an Aussie expat living in the UK and a newbie parenting blogger. Check out her blog Young Mom Of Two.

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